Tiltable support for umbrellas



p 22, 1954 s. N. SMALL 7 3,149,638

TILTABLE SUPPORT FOR UMBRELLAS Filed May 19, 1961 INVENTOR. 5HMUL N SMALL qTTORNEY United States Patent 3,149,638 TILTABLE SUPPORT FOR UMBRELLAS Samuel N. Small, Valley Stream, N.Y., assignor to Alfred G. Cohen and Paul Weiss, Flushing, NY.

Filed May 19,1961, Ser. No. 111,321 2 Claims. (Cl. 135-46) This invention relates to umbrellas of various sizes and particularly to the provision of a support, in connection with which the umbrella post is mounted for supporting an umbrella in several tilted positions. Further, the invention deals with a supporting structure of the character described which is simple and economical in construction and which will facilitate quick and easy manual movement of an umbrella into difierent tilted positions and for supporting the same in such tilted positions.

The novel features of the invention will be best understood from the following description, when taken together with the accompanying drawing, in which certain embodiments of the invention are disclosed and, in which, the separate parts are designated by suitable reference characters in each of the views and, in which:

FIG. 1 is a sectional view through the upper portion of a support and the lower portion of an umbrella post, with parts of the construction shown in elevation and indicating the post in a tit-lted position.

FIG. 2 is a detail view of the upper portion of the support and illustrating the umbrella post in elevation in nontilted position in said support.

FIG. 2A is a dot-dash showing of a portion of an umbrella top and part of the post, with the umbrella top in upright or non-tilted position, the post being on a reduced scale with respect to the showing in FIGS. 1 and 2; and

FIG. 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of FIG. 2.

With umbrellas of the type and kind under consideration, rather intricate mechanisms are employed for moving and supporting umbrella tops in tilted positions with respect to their posts or supports for the umbrella and the object of my present invention is to provide a very simple and economical means for moving an umbrella from an upright to one of several tilted positions by manual movement and with a supporting structure of simple and economical construction. While the support herein shown is adapted for use in conjunction with umbrellas of various sizes, the structure in question is especially desirable for use in conjunction with the medium or smaller type of umbrellas used in conjunction with chairs and the like for producing shade to a single individual.

In illustrating one adaptation and use of my invention, I have shown, in FIG. 1 of the drawing, a tubular support 10, the lower part of which is broken away, it being understood that the lower portion of this support can have any means for mounting the same or for attachment of the same to a fixed support. The upper end of the support 11) has a contracted collar 11, forming a socket 12 of reduced diameter with respect to the bore 13 of the support 10. The upper end of the collar 11 has an inwardly extending flange in the form of four bearing portions 14. In other words, the flange is cut away to form four recesses 15, between which the bearing portions 14 are arranged.

The bearing portions 14 also form top wall portions, partially closing the socket 12. This structure will be clear- "ice 1y apparent from a consideration of FIG. 3 of the drawing.

At 16 I have shown the lower end portion of a tubular post, to the lower end of which is fixed a plunger 17 seating in a ring or washer 18, the plunger and ring being secured to the post by a rivet pin 19, as clearly illustrated in FIG. 1 of the drawing. The plunger 17 projects beyond the end of the post and terminates in a disc-type head 20 having a lower outwardly projecting annular flange 21. The head 20 is adapted to fit snugly in the socket 12 when the post 16 is in upright position or, in other words, when the umbrella top, indicated in part in dot-dash lines at 22 in FIG. 2A of the drawing, is in upright position. The snug fit of the head 20 in the socket 12 results from shaping the socket 12 to conform with the contour of the head 20. However, in moving the umbrella or the post 16 into the tilted position, as indicated in FIG. 1 of the drawing, the post 16 is manually forced downwardly in the direction of the support 10 to disengage the head 20 from the socket 12. This movement is against the tension of a coil spring 23 arranged in the upper portion of the support 10, the lower end of the spring seating upon a transverse rivet 24 in the support 10. After the head 20 has cleared the socket, the post 16 can be moved into any one of the recesses 15, positioning the post and the umbrella top in an angular position. The spring 23 will urge the head, including the flange 21 thereof, upwardly and the post will be retained in the angular position noted in FIG. 1, the showing of the position of the head and the spring being diagrammatic in this figure. To return the umbrella to the upright position, all that is essential is to again apply downward pressure on the post 16 to compress the spring 23 and, then, swing the post into its upright position, as noted in FIG. 2, and the spring will operate to return the head 20 for positioning in the socket 12. It will be noted, from a consideration of FIG. 3 of the drawing, that, in the foregoing operation, the plunger 17 yieldably passes over spring finger projections 14' on the portions 14, so that the plunger 17 snaps into the recesses 15 and is forcibly removed therefrom in bringing the plunger into the position shown in section in FIG. 3. This structure is to prevent accidental displacement of the plunger 17 from any one of the sockets. It will also be understood that the bearing portions 14 serve to engage sides of the plunger 17 when in tilted position to key the plunger in position or, in other words, prevent swinging movement of the plunger 17 or the post 16 with respect to the support.

In either position of the umbrella, the post, including the umbrella top, will be firmly retained in position in connection with the support. When the parts are in the position shown in FIG. 2 of the drawing, it will appear that the annular flange 21 bears directly upon the inwardly olfset wall 10' of the support, thus relieving any strain upon the bearing portions 14.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In tiltable umbrellas having an umbrella post, a support including a tubular portion with a reduced diameter socket projecting from the upper terminal end of the tubular portion, the boundary wall of the socket forming a collar concentric to the axis of said tubular portion, the post including a projecting plunger having a disc-type head end normally conforming to and fitting snugly in the socket of said support, the collar of the socket having an upper horizontal flange at right angles to said collar, said flange including circumferentially spaced recesses adapted to receive said plunger at a position spaced with respect to said head in tilted positions of the post with respect to said support, a coil spring mounted in said support and operatively engaging said head to urge the head in the direction of the socket of said support, the upper flange of the socket having bearing portions between said recesses for keying the post against swinging movement in the support, said bearing portions terminating in spring finger ends, and said spring finger ends being flexed in movement of the plunger into and out of said recesses.

2. An umbrella as defined in claim 1, wherein said head includes a projecting annular flange at its lower end arranged at all times in the upper tubular portion of said References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 896,445 Fredericks Aug. 18, 1908 1,435,363 Wood NOV. 14, 1922 1,528,967 Bersted Mar. 10, 1925 1,996,071 Kahn Apr. 2, 1935 2,096,966 Hufierd Oct. 26, 1937 2,752,116 Minnis June 26, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,151,258 France Aug. 19, 1957 

1. IN TILTABLE UMBRELLAS HAVING AN UMBRELLA POST, A SUPPORT INCLUDING A TUBULAR PORTION WITH A REDUCED DIAMETER SOCKET PROJECTING FROM THE UPPER TERMINAL END OF THE TUBULAR PORTION, THE BOUNDARY WALL OF THE SOCKET FORMING A COLLAR CONCENTRIC TO THE AXIS OF SAID TUBULAR PORTION, THE POST INCLUDING A PROJECTING PLUNGER HAVING A DISC-TYPE HEAD END NORMALLY CONFORMING TO AND FITTING SNUGLY IN THE SOCKET OF SAID SUPPORT, THE COLLAR OF THE SOCKET HAVING AN UPPER HORIZONTAL FLANGE AT RIGHT ANGLES TO SAID COLLAR, SAID FLANGE INCLUDING CIRCUMFERENTIALLY SPACED RECESSES ADAPTED TO RECEIVE SAID PLUNGER AT A POSITION SPACED WITH RESPECT TO SAID HEAD IN TILTED POSITIONS OF THE POST WITH RESPECT TO SAID SUPPORT, A COIL SPRING MOUNTED IN SAID SUPPORT AND OPERATIVELY ENGAGING SAID HEAD TO URGE THE HEAD IN THE DIRECTION OF THE SOCKET OF SAID SUPPORT, THE UPPER FLANGE OF THE 